De-Fuse-Al
by Mimic12355
Summary: (SU Movie Spoilers) Takes place roughly the same time Spinel regains her memories. Steven goes to comfort Spinel after revealing her past, however, something is wrong. He collapsed and his gem was losing power. In a desperate act, Spinel fused with him. Can she literally hold together long enough to find a solution?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

* * *

"-Dri~ift... Away..."

Spinel's form glowed and changed. Her hair was lengthening and her gem flipping upside down, just as Steven and the others met her.

Steven stood, shocked by this turn of events as Spinel looked back with pain in her eyes. The dark streaks on her cheeks reappeared. It dawned on him that they represented tears or sadness.

"Spinel..." Steven said, "you... you got your memories back." Spinel looked away, trying to come to terms with her renewed memories.

He wanted to say more but stopped himself. He can't be brash. _'Spinel needed a friend,'_ he thought. He remembered back when he met Centipeedle. He needed to take it slow. He took a deep breath. "Spinel, I'm sorry... you've been alone for so long. No one should ever have to experience that."

Spinel snorted "Yeah, well, I had the _pleasure_ of experiencing it anyways." She said with sarcasm, turning to him, anger slowly building. "Six thousand years on this rock and Pink, my best friend, ends up moving onto this dirtball-" She slammed her hands onto the ground, looming over Steven, making him fall back. "-And forgetting all about me to make new friends!" She reared her arm back.

"No!" Steven raised his arm, trying to get his shield up. It fizzed out, his gem unable to bear the effort; He could feel his body drain further. He looked up and said, "listen to me! You deserve better. I want to help you!"

Spinel hesitated, looking down with conflicting ideals. She wanted to hurt him, to make him feel the same pain she did. Yet she wanted to make a friend, and friends don't hurt each other. She yelled out and threw her fist behind her, shattering the communication array that broadcasted Steven's message of peace. It now laid in pieces.

The thought would have been funny to Spinel if she weren't so frustrated.

Spinel groaned, collapsing on the ground as she unwound... literally. Her arms rolled out in front of her like dough. "...I hate feeling like this."

Steven chuckled despite himself. "I know the feeling."

Spinel looked away. Steven sighed and stepped forward, sitting next to her. He waited as she pulled herself together. His eyes were getting heavier. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this tired, this drained. _'Wow,_' he thought. _'Guess I was pushing myself harder than I thought.'_

He turned to see Spinel looking at him with a raised brow.

"You okay there," she asked, "you got some red stuff coming out of your nose."

"My wha-" he moved his head to his nose and felt something wet. He saw blood on his fingertips. "Blood? Why is there blood..." He felt his head starting to swim, the world around him moving as he felt something hit his back. It took him a moment to realize it was the ground.

"Wha-Steven? Hey! What's the matter?" Spinel looked down in concern. She never saw someone like this before, at least not without taking a few hits. She lifted his head up. "Come on, kid, this is no time for games!" She looked up in a lapse of disbelief. "Can't believe I just said..."

"Spinel," Steven said, looking up with eyes unfocused. "I'm not feelin too good..."

Spinel rolled her eyes. "Obviously!" She looked down, trying to figure out what could be wrong with the boy despite the fact she had no experience with organic beings. She saw that one movie with Steven and Amethyst, where a human placed a hand on the chest to feel for something. She did that, only feeling a rhythmic pulse beneath her hand. Which told her...absolutely nothing.

However, she looked at the one thing she did recognize: the gem on his stomach. Instead of the normal color, it looked dull. Much duller than she expected.

_'The rejuvenator was supposed to reset a gem, not drain it,'_ she thought. _'Why would it...'_

Spinel saw the light in the gem dim further. She didn't imagine it. Was this because Steven was a half-human? She felt something touch her hand. Startled, she looked down to see Steven placing his hand on hers.

"Heh, sorry... Spinel. I... didn't mean... to..." His grip weakened.

Spinel's eyes widened. She was going to lose him. She was going to lose a friend. Again...

No... _'No...'_ "No... NO!" Tears of sadness pouring down on the contrasting angry face. She pulled him close, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him tightly. "Don't you dare! Don't you dare leave me! You hear me, Steven!?

Tears were streaming from her eyes. Her feelings were in turmoil. She didn't care, letting her emotions run rampant.

"I!"

Her gem started glowing.

"DON'T!"

Steven's body was feeling colder.

"WANT!"

Her grip tightened.

"TO!"

Spinel's body radiated in bright light.

"BE!"

Steven's hand slipped away.

**"ALONE!"**

There was an explosion of smoke, the shockwave shaking the dead plants and broken debris that surrounded them. The garden shook from the force.

In time, the cloud dissipated and settled down. In the middle of the explosion, stood not two figures, but one individual; Much taller than Spinel or Steven.

Taaffeite looked upon herself, grey eyes widening in awe and fear.

She asked, "am I... did we.. fused?"

Her limbs were thicker, rounder. A tuft of hair on the front, two ponytails that were now three, a long one behind the head, bells hanging at the end of each. Black circles around the eyes replaced the lines on the cheeks, face as pale as moonlight. Her four arms were jointed at the shoulder. She wore a mismatched set of clothing; frills tied from the neck to the chest, a red shirt with puffy shoulders with stars on each of them, flashy shorts with one legging that was baggy while the other was missing, a set of boots that rode up to her knees and curled greatly around the toes.

Taaffeite raised a brow at her new clothing. "I look like a... jester? Harlequin? Fool?" She shook her head, thoughts from Steven jumbled with Spinel. "This is... different." She bounced in place before flipping backward, a jump that nearly sent her 100 feet back, all the while she flipped at least 20 times before landing on her feet, almost knocking herself off balance. "Whoa, whoa whoa!"

Taaffeite giggled. "Guess I don't know my own strength..." She looked at herself. Then stretched, twirling her arm and scratching her head. "Can still stretch like taffy! Heh heh!" She smiled. She never felt so happy, so... delighted!

"Wait!" She snapped her arm back. "Steven! He's hurt! I need to defuse and..."

Her expression blanked. If she did that, Steven would be in the same position as before. She could feel it, his essence was weak. Spinel's own power was the only thing keeping him stable. If she were to defuse...

"Uh, oh."

She couldn't fix this herself. She needed help.

"I need to find the others," Taaffeite said, expression hardening. She had to get them to help, but how would they react? "Would they believe me?" She shook her head. "No! Focus! I can do this! I just gotta believe myself! I just gotta tell em Steven was close to death and I forced myself to fuse into him by squeezing him like a sponge! What can go wrong!?"

...

Taaffeite pulled at her hair, banging her head with her fists while yelling.

"I'm so screwed!" 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

* * *

Taaffeite was pacing around nervously, her various hands in motions.

"Oh gosh, oh golly... what to do..."

While she had the thoughts and memories of Spinel, she also tangled with Steven's feelings as well. His surface memories were the only thing she had real access to, only key memories popping up when something connects to them like Pink Diamond, which brought up a flash of Rose Quartz shattered Pink Diamond, only to realize Pink Diamond was Rose Quartz, who was also Pearl who shattered Pink Diamond. That little paradox gave her a massive headache, forcing her to forget it and shove it aside; chalking it up to Steven's weakened state causing delusions.

Taaffeite took a deep breath. "Now now, pull yourself together. This isn't the time to play the fool. Pearl and the others are your friends... well, Steven's friends." She chuckled. "As a fusion, any friend of Steven's is a friend of mine! Makes perfect sense."

To Spinel, the fusion felt like skydiving into a pool of white, fluffy cream. Admittedly, it was scary at first. She was plunging in headfirst into a storm of uncertainty and dread as Steven grew weaker in her arms. He was so tightly close to her, yet he was still slipping away. She was scared...emotions running high, building up and expanding until she couldn't contain it anymore. She didn't care at the time; she would gladly explode if it meant keeping Steven alive.

"Hm," she looked at herself once more, this time in the reflection in the fountain. She rang one of her bells. "I never imagined myself fusing. Yeah, I saw other gems do it, but myself?" She shook her head. "It's nothing like any game I've ever played..."

She smiled, the pale blue face smiling back. It felt like looking at someone who seemed so familiar, yet foreign.

"Heh, feels kinda nice. Knowing what both of us are feeling..."

Taaffeite frowned, eyes narrowing. "But Steven's feeling is weak right now. He needs help; MY help!"

She walked down the pathway, her feet echoing in the garden one last time. She stepped onto the warp pad, starting it up.

"Hold on, Steven..."

Taaffeite stepped off the warp pad, the floaty sensation of warp travel leaving her. She ran her fingers through her dark red hair.

"Okay," she said, "easy plan. First, stop the injector. Easy!" She counted on her fingers. "Second, get Garnet's memories back so she can help Steven. Not so easy..." She sighed, cartwheeling to an upside-down position with her second set of arms folded. "This is tougher than I thought. Least when I was Spinel, I could run circles around them and laugh maniacally..."

She hummed to herself, standing back up.

"Huh, so that's what it feels like to have a different perspective." She chuckled. She took a step forward but stopped as she felt her form wobble. She gritted her teeth and pulled herself together. "Grrrr... Urg that felt whacky." She bounced a bit to be sure she's stable. "I gotta keep my peepers open for that."

Taaffeite glanced down the steps leading to the living room, a mischievous idea forming.

"Hm..." She rubbed her chin. "I wonder if I can still sound like Steven..."

Pearl, Amethyst, and Garnet were in the living room, waiting for Steven and Spinel's return. Pearl was worried, Amethyst bored but concerned, and Garnet was examining a spork; she had never seen a fusion of things outside of gems before. At least to her knowledge.

Amethyst watched Pearl pace back and forth from the couch. She asked, "if he finds her, he'll come back here... Right?"

"I certainly hope so," Pearl said, biting her finger. "I can't help but worry... what if she gets her memories back and attacks Steven?"

"Steven can handle it," Amethyst said.

"He lost his powers, remember?"

...

"Oh."

"Hey, guys!" Steven's voice was heard echoing from upstairs. "I'm back!"

Pearl gave a sigh, letting her shoulders sag. "Oh, thank goodness..."

"Did ya find Spinel?" Amethyst called out.

"Yeah! Kinda..." They could hear him clear his throat. "I think it's better to show you. I'm coming down."

"Did his voice change near the end there?" Amethyst asked.

They heard the steps of someone much more substantial than Steven come down. They saw, not Steven nor Spinel, but something that appeared to be a giant jester with skin that was a pale shade of blue and clothing with various shades of red; the stars were yellow.

Taaffeite waved to the three of them nervously. "H-hey guys..."

"Wh-wh-wh-whaaaa?!" Pearl stepped back in shock. "You two... fused?! I-wha.."

"Whoa! Two of you fused!" Amethyst said.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Garnet said. "Congratulations!"

Pearl walked around, examining the new fusion with great interest. "Never seen a gem like this before."

_'Oh, a name,'_ She thought. _'Forgot about that.'_ "Um, call me Taaffeite?"

Amethyst raised a brow. "Tar... fight? Never heard of it."

Suddenly, a pink portal opened up. Connie and Lion came out with a battle cry, skidding across the floor. Connie flipped off and landed in the middle of the room, sword drawn.

"I'm here," Connie said. "Where's the fight?!"

Taaffeite held her hands up. "Whoa whoa, there's no fight! Everything is swell!"

"Swell?" Connie glanced over to the new person standing in the stairway. "Who-"

A flush sound was heard. The door to the bathroom opened up, everyone jumped into position to face this new threat-

Greg held his hands up. "Alright alright, I'll wash my hands!" He went back inside.

Taaffeite sighed in relief. _'That could have gone better.'_ She cleared her throat. "Alright, how about we stop the machine that's currently destroying the planet first before anything else?"

Pearl nodded, dismissing her weapon. "Probably for the best. Lead the way Steve-er... Taaffeite."

_'Uuurg, it's always Steven. Why not Spinel? Would it kill them to notice me too?'_ She felt her body waver again. She caught it, quickly snapping back in place. She nervously grinned before heading out the door. "Alright, let's move everyone!"

Unsure of her behavior, they cautiously followed Taaffeite outside.

* * *

A/N: Took an hour to write chapter one. 3 days for the second chapter? Go figure.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

* * *

The injector towered over the city. It's glowing goo slowly filling the ground and wilting the organic material all around it. While the people of Beach City had evacuated, it was only a matter of time before the device would destroy the world if left alone. Lapis, Peridot, and Bismuth were monitoring the drill, trying to find ways to turn it off.

The results were not very successful.

"This isn't good," Peridot said, looking over the data. "The injector is already reaching critical mass!"

Lapis asked, "Isn't there anything you can do to lower its mass?"

Peridot looked at Lapis. "Okay, first of all, it's not that kind of mass. Second, the device is calibrated by sound frequencies. I would need to find the right one to turn it off, but if I do it incorrectly, it could dump it's entire payload, causing a backflow to occur, and contaminate the entire area."

Bismuth raised a brow. "Backflow?"

"Yes," Peridot gestures to the screen. "The reason the injector is taking a long time is due to trying to drill through the crust. While it can go at a faster pace, going too fast would just have it splash backward due to the lack of space being created."

"Oooh. Like dumping molten ore into a mold too quickly. I gotcha."

"Granted, the backflow would prevent global devastation, it'd take ages to clean up as well as cause possible biological casualties within the area." Peridot shows the drill exploding on the screen. "Oh, and let us not forget the potential of it EXPLODING!"

"Sounds like we're on time," Amethyst said. She and the others had arrived, with not a moment too soon.

"Amethyst!" Peridot held out her hand. "Get away, I can't stand you all vacant and berupt of personality."

The purple gem gave a deadpan stare. "Yo I'm back, ya dip... I JUST TOLD YOU EARLIER!"

"Oh, thank goodness," Peridot said. "Did you get Spinel's memories back and-who is that?" She pointed to Taaffeite.

"It's a fusion of Steven and Spinel," Amethyst said.

"Huh... and that somehow allowed access to her memories despite the effects of the rejuvenator?" Lapis asked.

Taaffeite forced a grin. "Uh, yeah! Definitely! Nothing went wrong! Haha!"

Amethyst narrowed her eyes. "Right..."

Taaffeite calmed herself down, looking over the massive drill. "Okay, let me just turn off the injector."

She warped and stretched her finger into a horn, enlarged due to her size, then blew into it. The sound echoed across the hill and around them. They saw the drill move, shifting and altering its shape. The drill bit pulled itself out and the legs pulling in as it hovers back into the air. It left behind a small pool of biopoison, but other then that, nothing had exploded yet.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh thank the stars..." Peridot said. "I was worried it would blow up."

Connie groaned, facepalming. "Please don't jinx it."

"Well I'm glad that's over," Pearl said. "Alright Taaffeite, you can unfuse now."

A record scratch could be heard in Taaffeite's mind, bringing it to a full stop. _'..._ohnoohnoohnoohno_! Can't _unfuse_! But I can't tell them! Misunderstanding! Steven is still weak. They'll think Spinel/I did it! Quick! An excuse!'_

Taaffeite quickly gave a pouty face. "Awwww, can't I stay like this a little longer? I wanted to try out this form more."

_'Yes! Score one for Taaffeite~.'_

Pearl was unsure, weakened by the sadden expression. "Well... I guess-"

Pearl felt two pairs of limbs wrapped around her body and pulled towards Taaffeite in a full-on hug. "Thank you, Pearl! You're a real gem~" Taaffeite said with a smile.

"Oof!" She had some trouble speaking due to the constriction. "O-of course I'm a real g-gem. Mmmmph-you can let me go now!" Pearl dropped to the ground with a thud. "A little more gently next time..."

With the injector out of the way, there was only one problem to solve. Or in Taaffeite's case, two. First is Garnet's memory. Gotta figure out what memory to tackle to bring her out. Second would be getting Steven back to normal-

"What's the big deal," Amethyst asked. "Ya can fuse later. We kinda need Steven to get Garnet's memories."

Taaffeite glared at her, then chuckled. "Oh ho ho, no need for that. I'm just as reliable as Steven." She bent and twisted her arm in front of herself and took a bow.

"Well, why don't we ask Steven?"

"Why not ask him yourself?"

"I would if you would stop smothering him!"

"Uh guys," Connie said. "There's no need to-"

"Excu~se me?" Taaffeite snarled, eyes spiraling. "I'm not smothering him!"

"Yes, you are!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes! You are!"

"No! I'm not!"

"Then say that to my face, ya big rubber-band!"

With a yell, Taaffeite 's body glowed and pulled apart. Spinel stomped forward, pointing her finger right into Amethyst's gem.

"Think you're hot stuff, ya smug, purple-faced, vegetable?!" She lifted her left fist, expanding it three times its size. "I'm gonna RAM my fist so far into your face, you'll be seeing Steven next week-"

Spinel stopped dead, eyes widen. The realization dawned on her and processed through her mind, daring her to look to prove her growing fears. She turned her head behind her, seeing Steven's prone form. His body was as pale as the moment she fused with him, his breathing slow.

And now he was in full view of Spinel, and everyone else.

"Uh oh."

* * *

A/N: Took a lot longer than I anticipated. I wasn't sure if I should have done this or make a giant robot scene. Did this as it made more sense.


End file.
